Black Shadow
by Kismet Noelani
Summary: A woman's tragic past leads her to the dark side of life where murderers, theives, and sometimes superhero's reside.


Author's Notes:  Hey there everyone!  This is my first venture into the X-Men Comics Universe, so bear with me if I get something wrong.  Comments and criticisms are welcome, so long as they're constructive criticisms.  J  This hasn't been beta read, so if anyone is interested in reading it for me, say so in a review please.  Remember to review!

Disclaimer:  Please insert your favorite standard disclaimer here.  I only own Sakura and the plot.

Black Shadow: Prologue

            The full moon on the cloudless night was the only witness.  It had taken less than 15 minutes for the whole horrible savage deed to be done.

            The only sound left was silence.  

            The endless roar of gunfire had finally ended.  Now all was silent.  There was no movement save the wind through the trees.

            A cat crept out of its hiding spot and surveyed the carnage below.  It stared down, its bright eyes taking in the sight before the breeze shifted and brought scent with it.  The cat quickly moved away, there was nothing in this place but death.  Nothing but bodies, blood, and bullet holes in the walls.  

            Down in the street the body of a girl twitched once…twice…a third time.  Her eyes fluttered open and she lay, on her side in the street, her eyes slightly glazed over, not moving.  Just breathing.  

            How long she lay there, she would never know, but eventually, she realized where she was, and what had happened.  She squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to blot out the memory of her friends and family all being alive such a short time ago.  She opened them again, realizing that the memories would not be ignored.

            She was underneath something.  She tried to focus on the object next to her.  A hand.  She stared at it.  Kiyoshi's hand.  Her quiet soft spoken brother's hand.  Covered in blood.  

            She pushed her way out from underneath her brother and her friend Hiro.  The two had thrown themselves on top of her when the shooting started.  She had hit the pavement hard.  She realized, slightly surprised, that her head ached, and there was blood on her face, in her hair.  Hiro had always said that she had the most beautiful long black hair.  She could almost hear him say, "Black as midnight, smooth as silk.  You have the most beautiful hair Sakura."  But he would never say it again.  He would never say anything again.  None of them would.  She felt cold.

            She looked around, her older brothers, her parents, grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Hiro, Makoto, Midori, Sachi, all of her friends, her brother's friends, their parents.  They were all dead.  

            They had been planning a summer picnic with everyone's families for weeks.  It was going to double as her 13th birthday party.  She and her mother had worked for months to make it work.  It had taken so much planning to make sure everyone could come.  The day had been perfect.  It had almost been like a festival.  And out of nowhere they had come and ended it all.  

            The icy cold that had been protecting her seemed to melt suddenly and a single tear slid down Sakura's face.  _No, don't cry.  You can't cry.  You're the only one left.  Who will avenge them if you break down?  That was the only tear to make its way down her face.  She would be strong because she had to be._

            She focused on the cold, meditated on a picture of ice, just as she had been taught all 13 years of her life.  An ice maiden is what she would be now.  She bent down, picked up the knife from Kiyoshi's cold hand, and pressed the point into the palm of her hand.  A single upward stroke was all it took to slice a thin line of her hand open.  Drops of blood welled along them cut and fell slowly to asphalt at her feet.

            "I give you my word," she whispered to the dead, "that I will find them and avenge your deaths."  Her eyes narrowed as she finished, "I swear my blood oath on it."

            The headlights of a car rounded the bend it the road and flashed in her face, blinding her momentarily.  The car screeched to a halt and a single person got out.  Her Uncle.  Her father's youngest brother.  She watched dispassionately as he stared at the carnage.  He looked at her, took in the bloody knife in her head and looked back up, shock written across his features.  

            "Kami-sama.  Sakura, what have you done?"

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